Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-16
said. "Where do you come from my

"aud waere ere YOU going TOT"
"Wby do you ask2"
MISUNDERSTANDING me-but I could see
with half an eye that you sre on the
tramp"
sc ing lowell, I done know" re-
Dlied Dick with a tone Of sadness in his
voice.
"Don't know. my little lad-thst
sounds badly. Whist ia your name?"
"Dlck-R cnard Talbot"
"Ah-and what your father and moth
eI2"
"what do you mesn?" asked Dick,
ir&tely. "Whnt trade is ii?"
"NQ-L think you are cut above that"
Fsld the sergeant with 3 little smile,
while sleppiug his r7Glmentsl p.ntqloons
with his cane. "Wen2" be acded, II
quiringly, with sn eye TO business.
'TheV are desd-Ooth dead-l0rg age,
air." sSid Dick with sudden sob in
Ma thrhat, though Ne could scarcely recall
their memory, he I 1t. SOM how, very
lonely ard desolate jrst then. "My
fstber was an officer who served and died
ia Iudia "
subtle change came over the old ser
geant's face IS he heard the boy.
an" said ne, sad he slipped the last
1t his Gr z, while es Dick spoke, he
looked wistiuly at him, snd there was il
his heart that emotion which Sterne de-
scri5Fs the con OF DOOR Lieutenant Lefevre
feeling when h first met Corporal Tim,
and, in his loneliness, saw, in 8 soldier,
ga f'iard."
"Wbat was your fsther's regiment?"
asked the sergesnt, In q kindly tone.
"rhe Twentieth Bengal Infsutry"
Col the old Eighth P1niaub," said
the sergeant. "Fhey were with Us in tae
China war 8: PesiD, six aud twenty years
ago. BIZ JOve! how time runs On How
many foe fallows have seen three vol
ieys fred over since then; how many
more shoyelled swsy without coffiu or
volley-hured where they fell-buried 10
unconsecrsted ground, IS the parsons
ssy; though the hearts of many of these
English lads would have consecrated
Grand Cairo"
The sergeant seemed to say this to
himself, with the nearest approach TO
sigh, while mechanically reflliOg his
briar-root.
"Poor Isd!" said he, otter pause, ns
the sympathetic cord-the freemssonrY Of
the servico-wss struck; "why have you
left homer"
"Because il wasn't much OF shome;'
could not rem.in longer. My uncle"
"Oa, d-n't! had an uncle, too. he
turned me into the streets to f nd living
anyhow; SO 1 took the Queens bright
shilling 10 the Fasiliers, and by the tine
WAS YOUR size was beating drum under
Old Hope Grsnt at the storming OF Pekin
aud the footing Of the Summer P,lsce
You DON'T mean to go back, suppose?"
"Noi"
"Tnst is right-but what do you mean
to DOR"
"Becnme soldier If you will take me-"
said Dick, with g sudden glow in his boys
besrt and bright flash on his fair soft
cheek
"Y u sre very 7oung"
81 shall grow older
"You are not .n APPRENTICE or anythi1g
Of that kind, hope ~
IN II am just past fourteen"
"Tnst will do right IS trivet; we can
not enlist boys younger than that, by the
ouAeu's regulations"
Dick felt himself s'ln for It" now, and
'atber spj ,yed the new Importance Of ne
situation, though with the vsgues5 Ideas
n the world OF Whist was before hin, or
If the life en- which he was about to
enter.
He saw the mysterious letters, T.R W.
R L.W o., on the shoulderstraps Of the |
'rrgeaHt. according 20 the new arrange |
nenrs of the vast territorial muddle, |
Introduced into the unfortunate Britt b |
lTmF BY C.rdwel' & Co, in lieu Of the |
Id single bsttaliOns, with their s'nuY- |
.ers," of historic memory.
The mystic interpretation Of this CsbslO !
meant that the sergeant, Hawksley by !
zane, belonged to "The Royal Western
'nsilier Regiment, Lord Wolselep's |
)wr," though Old Nick himself, or the !
hsrpest War Off e clerk might not have |
discovered the fact. This is 40 eXsgger- |
tion. Under the same eccentric system,
he old Second Foot hsve. On their ap-
'ointmenfs, T. r W. s r T. Q. (Tne
: wal West Surrey Regiment
laeen'sD
The Sergeant ordered breakfast and
invited Dick, who, Ike hungry boy, wss
othisg 10th to share il with him.
Sergeant Hawksley WAS non. commits
Toned officer of the good old school,
Which seems to have passed away forever
With the old trained soldiers who were
yer the backbone and central figures Of
ur service-that class of whom short
ervice has proved the death knell, and
7hose place the dirty, eoured aud discon-
ented reserve man can never fill.
The old sergeant taught the first rudi-
nents Of discipline to the recruit, whose
uture home was to be the regiment they
we're so proud OF, and he was initiated
y them 81 into the art OF barrack snd
ho or rs .oiop |
ley and packing kit, while imbihing
nmethipg Of the vetersns' religion-en-
husiasm in the service, and pride in his
orps, whatever that corps WAS, from the
st Royal Scots TO the l09'h, and ven
ration in whom he saw the ideal gentle
l2n, foreaeeing nothing Of the tine when
is couotry might reward his lifelong
ervice with the usual shelter n the
Torkhous and share in peuper grave,
iter thrilling the village boys by his
arms aud
shouIdering hts crutch to show how telds
were Won"
The mystic shilling IS new, re believe,
Unnecessary; but Dick had duly received
:, and was told that after having passed
ne doctor he would be taken before q
lstice Of the peace for solemn attests-
on. And here We msy inform the reader
nth reference to Dicks tender age, that
ccording 70 Her Msjesty's regulation,
ection XIX, "Boys Of good character be-
ween the ages of fourteen and sixteen
lay be enlisted at the rate o on
oy for every 200 rank and fle of the es-
sblishment. No boy, however,
to be enlisted who does not, from his
lake aud stature, give fsir promise of